1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to food products of the type having a smooth, continuous aqueous phase with discrete pulp-simulating particles dispersed therein. More particularly, the present invention is directed to products of this type which are improved by virtue of the type of material employed to simulate the pulp and the process for preparing the product.
Much of the enjoyment obtained from food involves textural characteristics and appearance. While taste is often said to be the most important factor for food products, careful analysis will show that slight modifications in the textural qualities of a food product will greatly affect the outcome of "taste" tests. Many products are enhanced both visually and in the mouth by the presence of discrete, smooth, soft, coherent, pulp-like particles dispersed throughout.
Often, the intense mixing and severe heating required to prepare a commercial product will dissipate the natural food pulp particles which would otherwise remain in an animal or vegetable-based aqueous food. The natural pulp particles can be defined as those moist, at least slightly-cohering masses dispersed throughout the aqueous food product which consists essentially of soft undissolved animal or vegetable particles or pieces, such as the soft, fiberous piece of fruit or vegetable or the somewhat fiberous proteinaceous particles formed in a cooked meat gravy.
The challenge to the food industry has been to arrive at a pulp-simulating material which can be added to food products where natural visual and mouthfeel characteristics of pulp would enhance the appeal and enjoyment of the food product, yet which would be capable of withstanding commercial processing conditions. The art has developed a number of processes for adding natural or simulated pulp to food products; however, a low-cost alternative which can withstand commercial processing (heat and shear) would be desireable.
2. Background Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,964 to Marotta et al, it is disclosed that earlier prior art attempts to simulate pulp in starch-containing food products by dispersing cracker particles therein were unsuccessful. Marotta et al indicate that the cracker particles failed to impart either a good grain or pulpy appearance to the resulting food product. They indicate in addition, that the presence of the cracker meal detracted from the natural color of the food product. Marotta et al also disclosed that tapioca pearls have been employed to impart a textural contrast to baby foods. They indicate, however, that the extreme clarity and fragility of the pearls severely hampered the formation of a desirable pulpy texture within the product.
To correct these prior deficiencies, Marotta et al disclose that a gelatinized, amylose-containing starch product which had been cross-linked to a specific degree, gelatinized in the shape of a thin film and then pulverized to discrete particles of a suitable size distribution, produced a desirable grainy, pulpy texture in food products. To achieve the desired resistance to disintegration during subsequent processing operations, however, it was necessary to employ a starch which was inhibited by reaction with a polyfunctional cross-linking agent.
In another similar disclosure, Trubiano et al disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,341 that cross-linked starches outside the range disclosed by Marotta et al can also be employed when properly granulated and otherwise processed. What Trubiano et al describe as their discovery is the determination that highly cross-linked starches, not disclosed as workable in the disclosure of Marotta et al, could be successfully employed where the starch was precooked and dried such as by drum drying.
In another related disclosure, Marotta et al describe in U.S. Pat. No. 3,650,770 that a non-cross-linked cold water swelling, amylose-containing starch can be employed to prepare a pulp simulating additive. However, U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,964 to Marotta et al indicates that cross-linking within the limits set forth is necessary to obtain products whose pulpy texture exhibits maximum resistance to disintegration during various subsequent processing operations.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,676,148 to De Weese et al suggests the use of crumbs, such as cracker crumbs, corn bread crumbs, white bread crumbs, or the like, in combination with gelatin to solidify a normally liquid sauce while cold. This enables cold storage of the sauce between bread slices or the like without causing them to become soggy, yet permits a desirable consistency in the heated sauce. The various crumbs employed here are of conventional formulation and are not selected for their ability to withstand heat or shear. There is no disclosure of the desirability of imparting a pulpy character to the sauces mentioned by the use of pulp simulating additives.
Another approach to simulating pulp in food products has been to add natural food pulp. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,849 to Huchette et al, natural potato pulp is added to various food products. However, while the pulp is natural in the sense that it is unmodified as removed from its source, it is an artificial additive in the same sense as the starch-based pulp simulations when added to foods other than the source material, and will encounter difficulties in withstanding heat and shear conditions.